THE TIP

The Easiest Way to Remove Pomegranate Seeds

Pomegranates are wonderful fruits for their bright red color and intensely flavored seeds that burst with flavor when you bite into them. They are a beautiful addition to a variety of dishes but the seeds can often be hard to remove, especially with all of the white pith that holds them in place. Well, here’s the best (and easiest) way to remove the seeds.

Step 1: Orient the pomegranate so the stem is pointing towards you. And, make sure to have a large, sharp knife.

Step 2: Cut the pomegranate across it’s equator.

When it’s cut in half, it should look like this.

Step 3: Fill a bowl with cold water and get a wooden spoon. Take one half of the pomegranate and hold it in your hands, cut side down. Spread your fingers slightly so the seeds can fall through. Using the back of the spoon, hit the pomegranate aggressively (don’t be shy!) to start releasing the seeds and letting them fall into the bowl of water. You’ll have to use some force to get them going so this is a great chance to get out some aggression!

Continue hitting the pomegranate with the spoon, rotating to make sure you empty all of the pockets of seeds.

When you finish, this is what the pomegranate should look like – with nearly all of the seeds removed. There might be some pesky ones that are stuck so just fish those out with your fingers. Repeat with the other half.

When you look inside the bowl, you’ll see that the seeds have sunk to the bottom and the pieces of white pith have floated to the top.

Step 4: Using a spoon, scoop out any bits of white pitch.

Step 5: Strain and rinse the seeds to remove any excess pith and you’re left with beautiful pomegranate seeds.

Do this for several pomegranates at one time, store them in an airtight container in the fridge, and you’ll have fresh pomegranate seeds at your service any time of the week.